Improvement in corsets



J. 0. TALLMANf Corset.

No. 212,118. Patented Feb. 11, 1879.

N.FETERS, PHoTaLrrHouaAPuEfi, WASHINGTON, D. C

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIGEF.

JOHN C. TALLMAN, OF YORK, N. Y., ASSlGN OIt TO LUGIEN G. WARNER, OF SAMEPLACE.

IMPROVEM ENT IN CORSETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,118, dated February11, 1879 application filed August 1, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. TALLMAN, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented Improvements in Corsets and Bosom- Pads, ofwhich the followingis a specification:

My invention is a corset or bosom-pad constructed, as fully describedhereinafter, to avoid the necessity of employing a large number ofbones, and to produce an article free from protuberances at the face,and which shall be flexible and yet retain its shape.

In the drawings which form part of this specification, Figurel is afront view of a corset with my improvements; Fig. 2, an enlarged sectionon the line 1 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, an enlarged cross-section,illustrating the construction of part of the corset or pad.

My invention relates to that class of corsets in which grass-cloth,tampico-cloth, or haircloth is employed, the said cloth consisting ofthread warps an d stiff wefts y, of grass or other similar material,flexible, yet having greater stiffness than the warp. In this class ofcorsets it has been customary to re-enforce the flexible warps by theuse of two layers of fab- I ric, the stiff wefts of one crossing thestiff warps of the other. This necessitates the use of two layers, anddoes not always impart the desired stiffness.

I have improved this constructionby combining, with the grass or otherfabric, bones f, of horn or other suitable material, so arranged as tocross the stiff wefts, imparting the desired stiffness in the directionof the warps, while I can re-enforce the wefts, if necessary, by theaddition of another layer of fabric with the wefts parallel to thefirst. This construction may be used at any portion of the corset orpad, whether consisting, in whole or in part, of tampico or grass orother fabric. Ihave illustrated it in the drawings as applied to theside section, C, and gores b-two pieces, to w, of grass fabric, with thefibers y horizontal, being used with a vertical bone, f, as shown inFig. 3, the fibers 3 imparting the proper lateral stiffness, and thebone f re-enforcin g the flexible threads at. In the under arm-section,C, it may be advisable to substitute a steel, f, for the bone f.

In some instances I combine one or more sheets, a, of fabric with thegrass-cloth, stitch ing the two together, the fabric being either insidethe grass-cloth between the two layers, Fig. 3, or on the outer face, asshown at the left in Fig. 1 and in section, Fig. 2. In either case thestitching of the fabric and grass-cloth together ties the wefts inplace, and, by preventing any lateral movement thereof, impartsincreased rigidity and greater durability.

IVhere grass-cloth has been combined with ordinary woven fabric in themanufacture of corsets it has been found extremely difficult to unitethe different pieces or sections securely without forming ridges orprotuberances at the front,. which greatly detract from the appearanceof the article. I have succeeded in forming a strong seam, presenting anextremely neat front finish, and but little protuberance at the back, bythe construction shown in Fig. 3. The fabric (1 is folded at the edgewhich is to be united to the grass-cloth over one or more strips, 10, ofgrass-cloth or other stiE fabric, and another strip, (1, of fabric isstitched to the first and through the strip 10 near the edge. The edgeof the strip (1 is then folded inward, and the edge of the grassclothsection is introduced between the edges of the piece d of fabric and thestrip 10 and the whole stitched together on the line 1).

This construction not only firmly unites the sections, but it impartsgreat rigidity to the corset at the overlapping portions, so that thelatter may be stiffened without the use of the great number of bonesheretofore required-in fact, in some cases where gores are inserted inthis way, suficient stiffness is imparted to the bosonrpad orbreast-receptacle to render the use of bones unnecessary at thisportion. The cover-strip 10 may be used whenever extra stifiness isrequired. The bones f may extend through the short darts only orentirely through the corset.

Without limiting myself to any particular form or construction ofcorset, I do not here claim the combination with grasscloth of a sheetof covering fabric; but

I claim- 1. In a corset having grass-cloth sections, the combination,with said sections, of flat blades of whalebone or other suitablesubstance arranged intermediately to the edges of said sections at anangle to the stifi" fibers of the cloth, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, in a corset or bosompad, of the sections or strips 1d, of textile fabric, stitched together and to a section or strip, 20 ofgrass-cloth or other stiff fabric, and a grass-cloth section secured bystitching at the rear of the strip (1, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a corset having grass-cloth sections, of stripsd, overlapping the edges of continuous sections at the outside thereof,and strips 20 at the rear, secured to each other and to the sections bystitching, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed myname to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN G. TALLMAN.

Witnesses F. L. MINToN, ALEX. M. WRIGHT.

